1 Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

Aaron Olivares edited this page 2025-01-12 10:58:17 +08:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest market program in Las Vegas luxury jets are tempting buyers with their sleek shapes, luxurious cabins - and progressively, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to showcase unique types of air travel fuel considered less harmful to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have actually acquiesced environmental pressure on aviation and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that embracing sustainable fuel to curb emissions could make company jets more appealing to ecologically conscious purchasers - particularly corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.

The availability of less polluting private jets could likewise spare the rich and popular the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a current personal jet journey to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on display screen in Las Vegas are using California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.

The current waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief business officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our product is inedible."

Some of the other 79 aircraft on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions internationally, but can produce, on average, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has defended his occasional usage of personal jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has actually said that on the rare events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say incidents such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh difficulties for an industry currently striving to justify its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including using personal jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has actually delivered fuel performance enhancements of 40% over the past 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and rich purchasers. According to market information, billionaires only have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on renewable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for going to planes - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, normally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable effect on public perceptions about high-end travel.

"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," said aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from organization jet operators for renewable fuels now far supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, might broaden production up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and experts are likewise seeing more interest from customers who desire to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions contributed in a business jet utilization study his business just recently finished for a Fortune 500 business.

"At the end of the day, I think that price, cost per hour, range, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe people are ending up being more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)